Season Finales and the End of Days
Several recent posts on both mediation and The Other Journal have focused on the apocalypse and spectre of eschatological judgment. Indeed, the End of Days seems to be in the air at the moment, especially considering our recent cultural experience of the “delay of the parousia” when to the ridicule of North American news media the world failed to come to an end on May 21 (as claimed by otherwise obscure fundamentalist prophet Harold Camping). Despite the Rapture-less... Read More
The Revelation will not be Televised
I may have to add a proviso or two to my earlier, Baudrillard-heavy reading of the Royal Wedding. Watching it on PVR the next day (having opted not to get up at 3 am for the talking heads) the whole production turned out to be – as one might perhaps reasonably expect from a wedding – less of a Hollywood spectacle than a lengthy televised church service. When else would two billion people tune in to a church service, let alone one involving such a brilliant spokesperson... Read More
Mini-Mediation: Wild Sheen
Actor Charlie Sheen has made headlines this week with his no-longer-exclusive ABC interview on 20/20 in which his extremely odd behavior was sort of funny, mostly pathetic, slightly frightening. Sheen appeared with his two “goddesses” (girlfriends) and spoke about a variety of self-involved topics, such as “winning” and being on a drug called “Charliesheen.” Awesome–literally, “so impressive or overwhelming as to inspire a strong... Read More
Christmas, Community, & Meaning
In the land of the network shows, almost every show has an annual Christmas episode. There is little surprise in most of these. Recurrent themes of family, giving, and peace run rampant through these episodes, and all are assigned to be part of the Christmas spirit. Very little new ground is explored. However on the Christmas episode of the show Community, the minefield of our society’s fascination with Christmas is traipsed upon. The episode, “Abed’s Uncontrollable... Read More
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